Logistics & Info

Recommended Packing List

Towel, comfortable modest clothing for meditation, work clothing for community service, notebook and pen, battery-powered alarm clock, flashlight, personal toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc), ear plugs​, and water bottle and/or thermos for hot drinks. You may want flip flops to wear in the dorm showers. If retreat is during the winter, please bring thermal underwear, hat, gloves and scarf for the cold mornings and evenings.

Things Not to Bring

Please do not bring perfumes or heavily scented products, alcohol, meat (including fish & poultry), eggs, illicit drugs, cigarettes, firearms, weapons, fireworks, or other flammable materials into the monastery.

Transportation

Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from the program. For driving directions and public transit options, click here.

Lodging and Accommodations

Program participants will stay in our dormitories. To best support an atmosphere of contemplation and study, our residences are simple and functional. Currently, rooms in Sudhana Center are single occupancy, and rooms in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are shared occupancy. Bedding (sheets, blankets, and pillows) are provided, but we recommend that you bring a sleeping bag if the retreat is in the winter. In addition, sounds in one room can easily be heard in another, so please be mindful and considerate of others and refrain from carrying on conversations after 10:00 PM.

Weather

The temperature can fluctuate up to 40 degrees in the course of a day, so please bring warm clothing for the mornings and evenings and some light clothing (no shorts please) for the afternoon. Winters are generally cold and wet, while summers are often hot and dry.

Meals

​The food that comes to the monastery is given as an offering for those practicing a spiritual path. We are grateful for the food we receive and take only as much as we need to sustain the body. You are welcome to go back for seconds or thirds if you’d like, but please finish all the food you take. By being mindful of the food we eat and regulating our eating schedule, we are developing discipline and concentration that aid our spiritual practice.
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Mealtimes are:
6:15 – 6:45 AM Breakfast
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Lunch